As a wide-eyed, teenaged backpacker on my gap year I remember trudging for hours through rainforests to visit the fearsome Iban headhunters of Borneo only to find a friendly community clad in Madonna T-shirts.
When we settled down to supper - which consisted of the local equivalent of Pot Noodle - and clustered round a tiny TV to watch Superman on cable, it dawned on me that in an age when not even the remotest community is untouched by the Coca-Cola marketing machine and there are no more Machu Picchus or Petras to discover, those of us looking for that 'authentic' travel experience would have to redefine our expectations. That 'been there first' buzz could only be derived from somewhere formerly off limits, somewhere unexpected but changing fast or even just a new hotel.
Seven years working on the travel desk at Wallpaper* have taught me several ways to find the next hot spot while there's still a buzz about the place but before hordes of package tourists, hotel chains and the powerful brands of globalisation descend.
Looking back at the trendiest destinations to have emerged over the last 20 years, it's apparent that the shifting sands of global politics have a huge part to play in where the 'early adopters' and true travel pioneers choose to fly. As wars and conflicts end, despotic regimes are replaced by democracy and closed countries open up to the world economy, exotic cultures, unspoilt landscapes and pristine beaches become the lure to those in the know.
When the Berlin Wall fell and the Iron Curtain was lifted, Prague became the haunt of the world's itinerant writers, artists and thinkers. Once South Africa had shaken off the shackles of apartheid, the first visitors discovered that Cape Town's stunning location and beaches rivalled even those of Rio and now every plane to the city is packed. Cambodia is now known for Angkor Wat and its Aman resort and Beirut for its cutting-edge clubs and fabulous cocktail bars when even in the recent past both were synonymous with bloody civil wars. Burma will be big when it finally attains democratic status and in a decade's time if the warlords have settled their squabbling and there's more than a yurt to stay in, I'll certainly visit Afghanistan.
So where now? The mountain kingdom of Bhutan, until recently all but cut off from the modern world, still retains a Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon old-world authenticity. But with luxury lodges Amankora and Uma Paro already open and plans for more luxury hotels in the pipeline, that moment may soon pass. Tripoli already has its first design hotel, the Corinthia Bab Africa, and the spectacular Roman ruins of Leptis Magna in the Libyan desert are now accessible.
Art, architecture and fashion also play a big part in deciding the next hot destination. Since anonymous, drab, industrial Bilbao blazed a trail by reinventing itself as an art mecca thanks to one spectacular museum, the 'Guggenheim effect' has become the holy grail for many a provincial tourist board. Modern art museums designed by big-name architects have the same status that cathedrals enjoyed in medieval times and the kind of pilgrims they tend to attract are arty, wealthy and worldly-wise.
The fashionistas' contribution to putting a place on the map is very different, however, as exclusivity and privacy are the name of the game. Let's face it, you're unlikely to get invited to Kate Moss's holiday house party or lay your beach towel next to Anna Wintour, but where they go others are sure to follow. Ever been to Marrakesh? Charming, dusty, exotic, great market. But you get a feel for the real magic of the place by visiting the beautiful Jardins de Majorelle, designed by Yves St Laurent, which give you a glimpse of the decadent party scene that goes on behind the ancient doors of many a privately-ownedriad. The tiny Italian island of Pantelleria and Tarifa on the Costa de la Luz have had their day in the social diary of the gliterati and now it's all about private villas in Puglia in the south of Italy.
Literature, film and TV are other massive influences on travel trends. Louis de Bernieres's novel Captain Corelli's Mandolin and the subsequent film put the spotlight on Cephalonia and Arundhati Roy's tragic tale of forbidden love, The God of Small Things , helped turn Kerala into 'the new Goa'. Alex Garland's The Beach filled Thailand's coastline with adventurous twentysomethings searching for that serendipitous deserted island. The trick is to pre-empt the deluge by booking that ticket before the Oscar, Emmy or Booker Prize nomination. This year Sideways has inspired many a stag weekend 'wine tasting' in the Napa Valley and Da Vinci Code tours of Paris, London and Scotland are all the rage.
Lastly, it's important never to turn your nose up at overdeveloped resorts that have been tainted by mass tourism. Often you don't have to look far to find a glamorous sub-culture or the beginnings of up-market regeneration. Just as all of Mallorca doesn't look like Magaluf, don't write off the capital Palma because of its vicinity to Palma Nova. This charming, ancient city is the location for the king of Spain's holiday home, boasts a new museum, some of the best restaurants on the Med and stunning hotels that wouldn't look out of place in London or New York.
· Jeroen Bergmans is Travel Editor of Wallpaper* magazine. The next issue of Wallpaper* Navigator, the spin-off city guide travel title which will include a 10-page feature on Las Vegas, is due out on 11 August.
· Check out Wallpaper*'s top five destinations.
